Donald Stoebner
Donald Stoebner was born on July 29, 1947, in Eureka, South Dakota, to his parents, Raymond Edison and Norma (Neuharth) Stoebner. At the age of 77, Don died on September 10th, 2024 at Mayo Hospital, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Don grew up in Forbes, North Dakota; attended Forbes Public School K-12. As a youngster, he belonged to 4-H and Boy Scouts. While in high school, he participated in many school activities: Letterman’s Club, track, baseball, basketball, annual staff, class play member, and was a trombone player in the school band. Don graduated in 1965 as Valedictorian of his class. He believed that you should never let books interfere with your education! However, Don really did value education and funded a perpetual scholarship at North Dakota State University.
Don earned his teaching degree at the University of North Dakota in Ellendale in 1969. He taught Science classes in Oriska, Braddock, Streeter, and Jud, North Dakota, from 1969-1976. One of his most rewarding accomplishments was creating and coaching a girls’ track team in Braddock. With good coaching and great athletes, several individuals qualified for the state track meet! The second was organizing the first girls’ basketball team in Streeter and seeing the junior varsity team go undefeated!
A career change for Don was on the horizon. After two years and four summer schools, he received his BS Degree in Pharmacy at North Dakota State University in Fargo in 1978. He worked as a pharmacist in Carson for four years, passed his Wisconsin Boards in 1982, and opened/operated Solar Town Pharmacy in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, in July, 1982. In 2005, he sold his business to Vernon Memorial Hospital with a five year work option culminating June 20, 2010.
While working as a pharmacist, Don had memberships in the Lion’s Club, the Kickapoo Valley Association, and the Soldier’s Grove Community Development Association. He was also a Board Member for the Kickapoo Exchange and the Pharmacy Buying Group of America. In addition, being business-minded, he became involved in a partnership that formed Town and Country Sanitation in 1994. With hard work and perseverance by the partners, Town and Country grew into a thriving business. After 16 years, Don sold his share of this Boscobel-based service in 2010.
Don enjoyed making collections. At one time he collected barbed wire, railroad dated nails, stamps, and even insects! Over the years, he completed and sold many coin sets (pennies, nickels, quarters, and half dollars). In September 2019, he was privileged to be the 20th person ever to complete an entire Sheldon series set of Early American coppers: large cents minted between 1793 and 1814 with over 300 varieties. Most recently, he started collecting New Jersey Coppers dating from 1786-1788. Don loved going to coin shows and buying/selling on EBay. He had memberships in the Early American Copper Club, the Colonial Coin Collectors’ Club, and the Boys of 94.
Collecting fine glass evolved into quite a hobby. He and Janelle Earl loved searching for treasures in antique stores and glass shows all across the country. Fostoria American, American Lady, Fostoria Heirloom, Coin Glass, Jenny Lynn, and Fenton were his favorites. He maintained memberships in the Fostoria Glass Society of America in Moundsville, WV, and the Fostoria Glass Society of TN.
Don loved watching movies, following the stock market, keeping up with politics and news, listening to a variety of music, playing cards and computer games, visiting, storytelling, reading books and newspapers, and researching topics for discussion. One of his favorite sayings was: “I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you!” He enjoyed watching sports, especially football, basketball, and car races. One of his favorite experiences was attending the March Madness Final Four in Minneapolis. Don also had fun hunting pheasants and ducks; fishing for pan fish. His claim to fame was the time he went deep sea fishing in Costa Rica and caught a Blue Marlin!
Don had a sense of adventure and a zest for learning. He loved exploring all parts of the country especially the back roads of small towns. Finding museums, antique stores, and mom and pop eating places were always high on his priority list. He made several domestic road trips to all the lower 48 states (some more than once) as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Trips abroad included Aruba, Mexico, St Martin, Italy, San Marino, Spain, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Morocco, Canada, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. He loved taking pictures of unusual things he saw while traveling and could tell stories which captivated his audience!
Don shared his life with his wife, Bonnie McNeil from Ellendale, ND, 1969-1996; his wife, Susan Perry from Abbotsford, British Columbia, 2005-2010; and a special friend and travel buddy, Janelle Earl from Eau Claire, WI, 2011-present.
Surviving members of the family are his brother, John (Neva) Stoebner, Plymouth, MN; daughter, Jodie Schmitz, La Crosse, son, Joe (Teri) Stoebner, Verona, WI; grandchildren: Parker Barnes (Tom), La Crosse, WI; Nathaniel (Marie) Parker, Soldiers Grove, WI: Ruthelen Schmitz, LaCrosse, WI: Oliver Schmitz, La Crosse, WI; 5 great grandchildren, 3 nephews, an Aunt Gladys (Neuharth) Schmidt, Duncanville, TX; an Uncle Dennis (Dottie) Neuharth; an Uncle Cal Neuharth, Eureka, SD; many special cousins as well as friends.
Don was preceded in his death by his parents, Raymond and Norma Stoebner (Meyer); his step-father, Ernest Meyer; his sister, Mary Kay (Stoebner) Sampson; and his uncle, Harvey Schmidt.